Antonin Scalia

In Justice Antonin Scalia's dissent in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized gay marriage, he opined, "Until the courts put a stop to it, public debate over same-sex marriage displayed American democracy at its best." To say the legal rights of gay couples were up to public debate is antithetical to the 14th Amendment, which provides equal protection of the laws. Scalia cited intimacy and spirituality, questioning their legitimacy as benefits of marriage. However, he skirted the crux of the issue — legal rights. Up until this point, only heterosexual couples could enjoy marriage benefits, such as filing a joint tax return, being exempt from estate taxes and obtaining...

Related "Antonin Scalia" Articles

In Justice Antonin Scalia's dissent in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized gay marriage, he opined, "Until the courts put a stop to it, public debate over same-sex marriage displayed American democracy at its best." To say the legal rights...

Talen Corp. shrugged off Monday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling against the Obama administration's attempt to limit power plant emissions of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants.That's because the newly created Allentown power generator is already on...

– Same-sex couples have a constitutionally-protected right to marry, the Supreme Court said in a 5-4 ruling released Friday morning.
In a ruling covering four cases, a majority of the justices declared that states must issue licenses for same-sex...

Thomas Tucker and Gary Wentworth of Allentown were getting ready to run last-minute errands for their wedding on Saturday when they got a gift like no other.
In a historic cumulation of decades of litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled 5-4...

In a historic cumulation of decades of litigation, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Friday that same sex couples have the right to marry anywhere in the United State.
Here are five things to know about the ruling:
•Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the...

Chief Justice John Roberts just saved the Affordable Care Act — again. If you're feeling deja vu, you're not alone.
As he did in 2012, Roberts defected from his conservative colleagues and joined the court's liberals in refusing to send Obamacare into...

Of primary concern to every voter (regardless of party or political affiliation) is the fact that a Republican president elected in 2016 would most likely appoint four Supreme Court justices in a two-term presidency. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a...

The Supreme Court offered a pleasant surprise last week to those of us worried about the role of money in elections. In a 5-4 opinion written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., the court upheld a rule limiting certain fundraising activities for...

The social media world is a crazy world, indeed, sparking firestorms over petty things, such as the color of some dress in Scotland. Most social media postings connect people to ideas, news, fun and each other.
There is, however, a dark and demented...

Justice Antonin Scalia was missing from the bench Tuesday morning when the U.S. Supreme Court handed down two statutory interpretation cases — apparently he was stuck in traffic. But even in his physical absence, Scalia's presence was looming. It's not...

Rising frustration with Washington and conservative electoral victories across much of the U.S. are feeding a movement in favor of something America hasn't done in 227 years: Hold a convention to rewrite the Constitution.
Although it's still not likely...

Background checks are a common-sense safeguard that require gun sellers to first check if a buyer is a convicted felon, domestic abuser or mentally incompetent, and therefore prohibited from purchasing firearms. By federal law, sales of all firearms by...

For some, the Supreme Court's decision declaring that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry put the free exercise of religion in danger.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. was among them.
"Hard questions arise when people of faith...

The Supreme Court cleared the way Monday for Oklahoma to continue using a lethal drug cocktail for executions, but, in a surprising dissent, two liberal justices opened the door to what could become a historic challenge to the death penalty itself.
By...

Trading sharp words, a deeply divided Supreme Court upheld the use of a controversial drug in lethal-injection executions Monday, even as two dissenting justices said for the first time they think it's "highly likely" the death penalty itself is...

The Supreme Court acted Monday to keep Texas' 19 abortion clinics open, amid a legal fight that threatens to close more than half of them.
The justices voted 5-4 to grant an emergency appeal from the clinics after a federal appeals court...

The Supreme Court has ruled against federal regulators' attempt to limit power plant emissions of mercury and other hazardous air pollutants.
The rules began to take effect in April, but the court said by a 5-4 vote Monday that the Environmental...

The Supreme Court's historic ruling Friday granting gays and lesbians an equal right to marry nationwide puts an exclamation point on a profound shift in law and public attitudes, and creates the most significant and controversial new constitutional...

The legal world may have become inured to wildly rhetorical opinions by Justice Antonin Scalia, but his dissent in the Supreme Court's same-sex marriage decision Friday reaches new heights for its expression of utter contempt for the majority of his...

A sharply divided Supreme Court on Thursday preserved a key tool used for more than four decades to fight housing discrimination, handing a surprising victory to the Obama administration and civil rights activists.
The justices ruled 5-4 that federal...